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| Largemouth Bass |
At their March 2022 meeting, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Commissioners approved rules to allow for the production and sale of Florida largemouth bass as a food product.
Statutory changes made during the 2021 legislative session sanctioned the sale of Florida largemouth bass produced in aquaculture facilities for food.
FWC staff worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to ensure continued genetic conservation of Florida’s iconic freshwater game fish.
Key points from the approved rule language include:
Allow for the culture and sale of Florida largemouth bass as a food fish.
Incorporate FWC’s Genetic Authentication Standards for Florida largemouth bass into rule by reference.
Require any shipment of live bass in Florida to be accompanied with documentation required by FDACS and FWC.
Prohibit the importation into or transportation within the state of any live bass species, except permitted Florida largemouth bass that meet FWC’s largemouth bass Genetic Authentication Standards.
Prior to presentation of the draft rules at the December Commission meeting, staff held four public meetings and solicited online comments from stakeholders.
Both angling and industry stakeholders attended meetings and their combined input was taken into consideration and utilized during the rule drafting process.
More information about the rule can be found by visiting MyFWC.com.
Largemouth Bass Facts:
The largemouth bass is the best known and most popular game fish in North America.
The Florida largemouth bass is the state freshwater fish of Florida.
The Florida state record for largemouth bass is 17.27 pounds.
Two subspecies of Largemouth Bass are recognized; Florida Bass (Micropterus s. floridanus) and Northern Largemouth Bass (Micropterus s. salmoides).
Florida bass tend to grow much larger than the northern largemouth bass.
Most U.S. states prohibit the sale of wild-caught largemouth bass for food.
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